The invention relates to shovel and digging instruments, and more particularly to a foot plate attachment for a shovel.
Shovels have a formed blade with a portion of the top of the blade is reinforced or folded over to provide a reenforced portion to which a foot is applied to force the shovel blade into the ground. A portion of the blade material is formed above the area to which the foot is applied to hold a handle, and below the portion formed to hold the blade is a recess or irregular area to reenforce the blade. If the ground is compacted or a clay soil, it is difficult to force the blade into the ground and the narrow reenforced folded portion may apply excess pressure on the foot through the sole of the shoe.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,901,996, describes a foot plate attachment that is similar to that described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,502,445, and uses a hose clamp to hold the attachment to the shovel handle.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,502,445, utilizes a plate which resides on the portion of the shovel to which the foot applies pressure during digging, and a curved portion extends upward partially around the shovel handle and is attached thereto by a U-bolt.
While both of the above described foot plate attachments, but neither describes a means to prevent the foot plate attachment from moving upward if the hose clamp or U-bolt becomes loose.
The invention is to a foot plate attachment which has a pressure plate that resides on the top of the shovel blade, and has a support piece under the pressure plate. The support may be integrally secured to a shovel at the time the shovel is manufactured, or may be attached to a shovel that did not originally have a plate attached.
The foot plate may be attached by welding, screws, rivets or by an adhesive. Alternatively, the foot plate may have tabs extending from a portion of the plate that may be bent under the original foot surface on the shovel to hold the plate in position.
With the foot plate attached to the shovel, a large area is provided to press downward upon by the foot, both side and back, to help add an increased downward digging pressures, and provides a more stable area so that the shovel will not turn or rotate with the applied downward pressure.